The Jacksonville Jaguars have seemingly found their groove. Following a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2, the Jags have gone 2-0, with consecutive victories over the Houston Texans at home in Week 3 and against the San Francisco 49ers on the road in Week 4.
However, the Jaguars' 26-21 success at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara was not without attrition. Jacksonville defensive end Travon Walker suffered a wrist injury in the first half of the 49ers game and did not return. He later underwent surgery on his injured wrist. Despite the procedure, Walker hasn't been listed out for this Monday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville.
“Feels to me like a long shot for him to be able to be out there. They [Jaguars] want to leave it up to him how he feels tonight, but certainly seems like more likely than not Walker will be watching his first game post-surgery,” Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network said of the former Georgia Bulldogs star.
On Saturday, Walker was even spotted doing work on the field at the Jaguars' practice.
“Jaguars DE Travon Walker (wrist) is back at practice wearing a cast/club on his left hand. Had surgery Monday and HC Liam Coen said Saturday that they’ll take it up until game time to determine if he’ll play against the Chiefs: ‘I trust that if he says he can go, then we’ll go,'” shared Michael DiRocco of ESPN via a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Walker contributed just two total tackles (zero solo tackles) in the Niners game, but he still got a 69.8 overall grade for that contest from Pro Football Focus. And so far in the 2025 NFL regular season, Walker, who was taken first overall by the Jaguars at the 2022 NFL Draft, has a solid 79.2 overall PFF grade to go along with a 72.2 pass rush grade. Moreover, he is second among all qualified edge rushers in the league with an 84.9 run defense grade.
An absence by Walker against the Chiefs will be a significant blow to Jacksonville's defense, which has been helping the team keep its head above water. The Jaguars are fourth in the league through four weeks, with just 18.0 points allowed per game, and are tops overall with 3.3 takeaways per contest.
